Zambia-Tanzania-Kenya Power Interconnector Project Ready To Commence Once Financiers Found

Several international firms have expressed interest to finance the Zambia-Tanzania-Kenya power (ZTK) interconnector project which will create a link between the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and the East African Power Pool (EAPP).

Ministry of Energy Permanent Secretary Brigadier General Emeldah Chola said the implementation of the ZTK power interconnector project would commence once a financier was found.

She further disclosed that several companies had expressed interest to finance the project but that the process was still on-going.

“The project can only kick-off once we have gotten a financier, there are a few firms that have expressed interest in financing the project owing to the overwhelming response we had at the Financier’s conference,” she said.

The Financier’s conference was held in November last year in Livingstone to attract potential financiers.

The project’s main objective is to provide opportunities to conduct power trade in the eastern and southern Africa region and facilitate the creation of a Pan-African power market from Cape Town in South Africa to Cairo in Egypt.

The PS also reported that the feasibility study, the conceptual design of the interconnector and the final design had been concluded already.

This includes the conclusion of the complementary market study, which was looking at the potential trading volumes and impact of the interconnection of the regional power systems done in December 2016.

Chola noted that remarkable progress had been made in different sections in the three countries, and that some sections had already been implemented with others still in progress.

And Ministry of Energy Office for Promoting Private Power Investment manager Clement Sasa said the project on the Zambian side has made tremendous progress.

He notes that the project on the Zambian side has a funding gap of USD$200 million to complete its portion.

The ZTK interconnector is a high voltage power transmission line connecting Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya. The project aims to connect the power grids and create a link between the SAPP and the EAPP, making it possible to transmit power from Cape to Cairo.

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